Hospitality students from Hugh Baird College’s L20 Hotel School recently spent time with award winning global futurist and strategist Rohit Talwar thinking about how different their industry might look in five to ten years time.

Rohit advises global firms, industries and governments on how to survive, thrive, spot and manage emerging risks and develop innovative growth strategies in the decade ahead. He regularly helps clients understand how mega trends, emerging ideas, new business models, and disruptive developments in science and technology could impact individuals, society, business, industries and government.

During his visit to Hugh Baird College, he focussed his talk on the speed of change in the world today and emphasised how students need to develop skills to assist generations not used to such rapid change to adapt. Coupled with this, Rohit challenged students to visualise a hospitality industry where chefs may be able to smell and taste food digitally, where hotels immerse customers through virtual reality and how advances in science and technology in the farming world could lead to opportunities for chefs the ability to create their own ingredients from meat to vegetables.

Speaking after the event, Rohit said:

“I was fascinated by how engaged the students were in thinking about the advances shaping the future. They asked excellent and very thoughtful questions about the social impacts of impending changes and how we handle the knock on effects of automation on jobs, incomes and societal structures. I loved how passionate they were about the need to ensure the human dimension in everything from cuisine and entertainment to retail and education. ”

“I would like to thank Mr Talwar for taking time out his busy schedule to really challenge the students to think about how developments will impact on their future careers and how they will need to be preparing now if they want to be successful.”

L20 Hotel School Hospitality student Stephen Bell said:

“We are living in a fast moving world where technology we were used to seeing in sci-fi movies is now a reality. It was quite scary to think about some of the things Mr Talwar was discussing, but I’d rather be prepared than being surprised and caught out when they arrive.”